Leander's eyes blazed with light, sharp and unyielding. But across from him, the four enforcers' expressions darkened completely, their voices low and grim. "Heretic, I admit your spiritual strength surpasses ours. But unfortunately for you, you've already stepped into our spiritual formation."A cold smirk curved one man's lips, his expression filled with malicious satisfaction. "You may be stronger than we are, but your power is still limited. As long as your spiritual strength hasn't reached the Origin Breaking Realm, you will never survive within our formation!""You think the likes of you can kill me?" Leander taunted, his voice laced with disdain. As he spoke, the spiritual strength shielding Maeve surged sharply, shattering the enforcers' pressure and sweeping her toward him."Trying to save her? Huh! Dream on!"Though the four enforcers were briefly startled, they quickly regained composure. Their spiritual strength layered upon itself, almost tangible, rippling through the air as it crushed inward from all directions, compressing Leander's power toward the center.In that instant, a faint gleam flashed through Leander's eyes, and beads of sweat rolled down his face. He wasn't only enduring the elder's spiritual pressure but also controlling his own power with precision so that not even the faintest wisp would harm Maeve. He had to make sure she remained safely within the protective field ofhis energy.Combined, the two tasks weighed on him like an entire mountain pressing down- one he couldn't let collapse or even crack the ground beneath it. The difficulty was unimaginable.The four enforcers, however, had no such restraint. All they needed to do was attack relentlessly, forcing Leander's spiritual strength into a smaller and smaller space until even Maeve would have nowhere left to exist."Blockhead!" Seeing the sweat trickling down Leander's temple, Maeve's eyes narrowed in distress. She could tell how much strain he was under, and her heart clenched painfully. "Forget about me, blockhead! You'll wear yourself out like this!"She couldn't bear to see him in such agony. Even if it meant her death, she would rather see Leander safe and unharmed."No need to worry about me." Despite the tension in his face, Leander managed a grin. "I told you—you won't die. Even if a God stands before me, I still won't let you die.""Your spiritual strength is indeed extraordinary," One of the elders sneered coldly. "To shield her so completely under my suppression proves your mastery has surpassed ours. But sadly, you won't last long."Leander lifted his gaze slightly. Sweat dripped down his chin, but the light in his eyes had calmed—steady and unshaken."If you think you can overpower me with spiritual strength, think again!" he declared icily, and in the next instant, an overwhelming surge of spiritual power burst from Maeve's body.Pop!The air cracked softly-like something being pierced through.The elder's face twisted in shock. His spiritual field had been violently torn apart in that single moment. At the same time, Maeve was pulled free by Leander's power. The light in his eyes flared, and with a forceful step into the void, he shot forward like a bolt of lightning."Trying to escape the formation?" The elder let out a harsh snort. His spiritual strength condensed into a massive phantom hand that shot out from behind Maeve, reaching to seize her once again.Leander reached Maeve a split second before the attack did. Stretching out one arm, he swept her into his embrace and struck out with his other hand.Boom!A streak of blue light tore across the sky as his palm print collided head-on with the massive hand of spiritual strength. The clash unleashed a violent gale that churned the air, scattering the clouds above.noveldramaThe enormous hand shattered under Leander's strike, breaking into countless rippling waves of spiritual force that rolled backward Leander was hurled several yards away by the recoil, landing steady on the air itself, but still trapped within the boundaries of the spiritual formation. "You okay?" Leander looked down, his eyes deep and star-bright. Maeve lay cradledin his arms, the world around her fading into insignificance. She nodded faintly, feeling safer than she ever had in her life.The four enforcers' faces turned pitch dark. They had held every advantage, yet Leander had still managed to snatch Maeve from their grasp. That brief eruption of his spiritual power had shaken even them to the core."His sudden burst of strength was terrifying," one of them muttered, his tone edged with unease. "But power like that—he can't sustain it for long."As the brilliance faded from Leander's eyes, the four exchanged a knowing glance. Their spiritual strength surged once more, locking firmly onto him."Heretic," one of them snarled, "no matter how you struggle today, both you and your woman will die!"At that, they spread their hands wide. Waves of spiritual strength billowed outward, filling the heavens until half the sky was veiled in shimmering energy. A few birds that happened to fly through were instantly reduced to drifting clouds of blood mist. "You think the likes of you can kill me with such filthy tricks?" Leander's tone was calm, his eyes as still as a deep well. Yet in his arms, Maeve suddenly gasped, her breathing quick and shallow before weakening further. Her eyelids fluttered shut.Only then did Leander realize they were suspended high in the air, where the air was thin, and Maeve, being an ordinary human, was already struggling to breathe."No matter what you say," one of the elders declared, "your execution is inevitable today!"He flickered through the air, and his spiritual strength wove itself into a massive web, sealing the sky and reinforcing the formation's barrier. Another elder followed suit, his energy rising from below, enclosing the space completely."In the name of the Holy Light, purge the heretic from this world! May the fire of the Church burn eternal!"The four elders stood at fourAstcorners, chanting the Church's ancient, indecipherable scripture. their voices fell in unison, they roared together, and the spiritual web twisted violently, reshaping.into countless razor-sharp spikes, each one sharp enough to pierce Straight through an armored tank. "Holy Rite-Piercing Thorns!"In the blink of an eye, a thousand spikes of pure spiritual power shot toward them.Leander and Maeve were trapped in the midst of the onslaught. But he paid the incoming spikes no heed. Instead, he lowered his head suddenly—and kissed her."Mmph!"Maeve's eyes snapped open through her daze just as Leander's lips pressed firmly against hers. A rush of cool, invigorating energy flowed from his mouth into hers, floodings her fungs with air and life. Her senses sharpened at once, her breathing evening out as strength returned to her body.Only after passing her a breath of his Nirvana Energy did Leander release her. "What comes next might get bloody. Just close your eyes and wait till I've slaughtered every last one of those old Church dogs."Maeve nodded obediently, closing her eyes. Her heart fluttered sweetly in her chest. Then the light in Leander's eyes flared once more, and in the next instant, an immense surge of power erupted around him—so bright it lit up half the night sky.